Overview
- Election Commission of Pakistan Director General Shamshad Akhtar was shot dead by unidentified gunmen near Girah Baluch in Tank district and the attackers fled the scene.
- Rescue 1122 moved Akhtar’s body to Tank’s District Headquarters Hospital and family members said he was in the area after his brother’s recent death.
- Police and security forces have launched search operations in and around Tank to track down the assailants while investigations continue.
- The ECP called the incident a suspected targeted killing, praised Akhtar’s service, and urged the government to improve protection for government employees.
- The attack fits a pattern of rising militant violence in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa this year that has killed scores of police and used tactics such as drones and night-vision equipment, prompting earlier calls for a federal security package for the province’s southern districts.